Aerator



S. J. GWIDT May 3, 1938.

AERATOR Filed Dec. 31, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l S. .J. GWIDT ay 3, m3.

AERATOR Patented May 3, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention aims to provide a simple'but effective means for delivering air into a body of water, such as a lake or stream, in order to supply fish with air, especially when the body of water is frozen over, althoughthe device may be used at any season of the year, and whenever water becomes stagnant. The invention aims to provide a unitary driving means for compressing and discharging the air, and for putting the aerated water into motion, thus producing in water that would otherwise be at rest, the beneficial effect extended in nature by the flow of a stream through rapids.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the inven tion resides in the combination and arrangement of partsv and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without depart ing from the spirit of the. invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows. in. elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention, mounted on the bed of a. body of water Fig. 2 is an enlarged, vertical longitudinal section wherein parts are broken away; M

Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

The numeral I, in Fig. 1,. marks the bed of a lake, stream, or other body of Water. The numeral 2 designates a base resting on the bed I. The base 2 may be beveled at its ends, as shown at 60, or otherwise constructed, so that the. ma chine may be moved from place to. place, as on skids, if the operator does not. wish to maintain it in a fixed position.

A tower 3 is secured to the base 2 and embodies a plurality of horizontal platforms 4... Through the platforms 4 passes a pipe. 5 which constitutes a housing for the driving shaft l4, hereinafter mentioned. The pipe 5 of course may consist. of as many sections as desired, united by couplings 25 (Fig. 1). Referring to Fig.v 2, it will be seen that the pipe or housing 5. comprises vertically spaced upper and. lower parts, connected by means to be described further on.

The housing 5 supports. many parts of the oper' ating mechanism, and in order that the housing may be prevented from. slipping downwardly, collars 6 are attached to it, these collars having a footing on the platforms 4, as Fig. 2 will show.

Although any suitable driving means may be supplied, a windmill will answer the purpose. With that end in view, an inverted cup-shaped socket l is mounted to rotate upon the upper end of the housing 5 and carries a frame 8, provided at one end with a vane 9. In the frame 8, a horizontal driven shaft H] is journaled, a wind wheel I i being secured to the shaft. As has been inti mated hereinbefore, the wind wheel II and associated parts may be supplanted by any desired prime mover.

Intermeshing beveled gears l2 are shown as connecting the intermediate portion of the drive shaft ID with a vertical driven shaft M, which extends downwardly throughthe housing 5. The driven shaft I4 is journaled in the socket 'i, and in any desired number of bearings l5 carried by the housing 5. The shaft l4 may be journaled also in a specially constructed coupling l6, interposed in the pipe or housing 5. The coupling in is located well above the plane in which the ice I! (Fig. 1) forms on the stream.

A housing 18 is located near to the bed I of the body of water,v slightly abovethe base 2. The housing It! embodies a detachable lid 15!, having a packing gland 20, wherein the driven shaft M is journaled. The space within the housing 5 (Fig. 2) between the. lid iii of the housing 58 and the coupling It forms a container 2.! for oil or any other anti-freezing liquid.

In order to make the. driven shaft ['4 adjustable as to length, it may be formed in two axially aligned parts, as Fig. 2. will make manifest, those parts being united by av thread-ed coupling 22 or otherwise. In order that access may be had reade ily to the coupling 22, the free portion of the housing 5 may be supplied with a door 23.

The numeral 24 designates a, casing, having detachable lid 26, through which the upper portion of the housing 5 extends. The upper end of the lower portion of the. housing 5 is secured in the bottom of the casing 24. The casing 2d openings 21, for the admission of air.

The upper ends of air pump cylinders 28 are secured in the bottom of the casing 24, the cylinders preferably being disposed on opposite sides of the housing. 5. In. the lower end of the upper portion of the pipe or housing 5 (Fig. 2) a bearing 29 is mounted, and therein the driven shaft [4 is journaled. A. horizontal beveled gear 30 is secured to the driven shaft l4, within the casing 24 and is located near to the bottom of the casing. The beveled gear 30 meshes with vertical beveled gears 3i, disposed onopposite sidesof the bearing 28 and journaled thereon as indicated at 32-.

The vertical beveled gears 3 l are supplied with wrist pins 33, whereon are pivoted theiupper ends of downwardly extended pitmans 34. The lower ends of the pitmans 34 (Fig. 4) are pivoted at 35 to pistons 36 mounted to reciprocate in the cylinders 28, the pistons being supplied with check valves 31, which close when the pistons move downwardly to make a compression stroke.

At 38 there is shown a vertical air delivery pipe, provided with branches 39 connected to the lower heads of the cylinders 28, and in communication with the cylinders. Check valves 40 are interposed in the branches 39 of the air delivery pipe 38 and open away from the cylinders 28. A check valve 4| is interposed in the pipe 38 and is located near the housing I8, as Fig. 1 will disclose. The check valve 4| closes upwardly.

Passing to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the lower end of the air delivery pipe 38 is mounted in the lid |9 of the housing l8. An elbow 42 is located within the housing l8 and has its upper end mounted in the lid [9, the elbow constituting a continuation of the air delivery pipe 38. The elbow 42 has a heel 43, against which abuts the inner end of a compression spring 44, the outer end of the spring being received in a socket 45 on the housing l8. On the inner end of the horizontal portion of the elbow 42 is mounted a packing gland 46.

A bearing 41 lies within the housing IB and -may be supported from the bottom of the housing on a frame 48. The tower 3, the pipe and the housing I8 form a support, whereon a tubular horizontal shaft 49 is mounted to rotate, and. more specifically, the shaft is journaled for rotation in the bearing 41 and in an external gland 50 on the housing l8. Intermeshing beveled pinions 54 form a driving connection between the lower end of the shaft l4 and the shaft 49. The inner end of the tubular shaft 49 is journaled in the gland 45 of the elbow 42, and there is a ground joint 5| at the place where the inner end of the shaft 49 abuts against the elbow. The shaft 49 is held in the bearing 41, against appreciable longitudinal movement, by anti-friction thrust collars 52, secured to the shaft and cooperating with the bearing 41, A propeller 53 is secured to the shaft 49, externally of the housing l8, the shaft opening through the axis of the propeller, as depicted in Fig. 2.

The wear at the ground joint 5| does not amount to more than a few thousandths of an inch in a long time, and by the time that such wear occurs, the thrust collars 52 will have been subjected to a corresponding amount of wear, and the thrust of the propeller 53 to the right in Fig. 2 will take up the wear at the ground joint 5| and keep it tight. Although the upper end of the elbow 42 is shown mounted in the lid l9 of the housing l8, that mounting, like any similar mounting, is not absolutely rigid and the compression spring 44 will tend to thrust the horizontal part of the elbow to the left in Fig. 2, through the very small distance necessary to aid in keeping the joint 5| tight. Practically considered, the joint 5| remains airtight without attention.

Although the shaft I4 may be driven by any desired instrumentality, the vane 9 heads the wheel into the wind, the wheel rotates the drive shaft l9, and rotation is imparted to the driven shaft I4 by way of the beveled gears l2.

When the shaft I4 is rotated, the horizontal beveled gear 30 on the shaft rotates the vertical beveled gears 3|, the pitmans 34 are actuated, and the pistons 36 are reciprocated in the pump cylinders 28.

Air enters the casing 24 through the openings 21. On the upstroke of the pistons 36, the air passes through the pistons by way of the check valves 31, and on the downstroke of the pistons 36, the air is compressed in the lower portions of the cylinders 28.

The compressed air passes the downwardly opening check valves 40 and moves through the branches 39 into the air delivery pipe 38, the air traversing the elbow 42 and the tubular shaft 49. The air is discharged through the outer end of the shaft 49, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 2. If it be supposed that the shaft 49 is rotating, the propeller 53 will drive forward the aerated water, and the body of water below the ice H, or in a stagnant pool, will be charged with air sufiiciently to promote the Welfare of the fish in the Water.

As to the manner in which the shaft 49 is rotated, Fig. 2 shows that this end is accomplished by the intermeshing beveled pinions 54 which connect the lower end of the driven shaft M with the tubular propeller shaft 49.

The housing I8 is airtight, but some water may leak into it, due to wear or long continued use. Should water accumulate in the housing It, the upward flow of the water in the pipe 38 will be stopped by the check valve 4|. Similarly, should the gland 29 of Fig. 2 leak, the oil or other antifreezing liquid in the container 2| will prevent the upward movement of water in the tubular pipe housing 5. The water, therefore, will not rise to the ice level I1 and freeze either in the air delivery pipe 38 or in the tubular housing 5.

The device is of simple construction, and will operate in a satisfactory way, for a long time, without expert attention. It will deliver air through the tubular shaft 49 into the water, the aerated water will be advanced by the propeller 53, and the fish in the water will be afforded an ample supply of air.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a device for aerating water, a support, a substantially horizontal tubular shaft mounted to rotate on the support, a water propeller secured to the shaft, a substantially vertical shaft mounted to rotate on the support, means for connecting the shafts operatively, an air pump on the support, means for conducting air from the pump to the hollow shaft, means for connecting the pump operatively with the substantially vertical shaft, and a motor on the support, the motor driving the substantially vertical shaft, the propeller and the tubular shaft being positioned beneath the surface of the water to be aerated.

2. In a device for aerating water, a support, a substantially horizontal tubular shaft mounted to rotate on the support, a water propeller secured to the shaft, a substantially vertical shaft mounted to rotate on the support, means for connecting the shafts operatively, an air pump on the support, means for conducting air from the pump to the hollow shaft, means for connecting the pump operatively with the substantially vertical shaft, and a wind wheel journaled on the support and connected operatively to the substantially vertical shaft, the propeller and the tubular shaft being positioned beneath the surface of the water to be aerated.

STANISLOUS J. GWIDT. 

